I have a 32-40 barrel that is a #5 size, it was 28 inches and it was just too heavy for 200 yard standing, so I cut off 4 inches. Still shot very good, but still too heavy for me. I'm 70 and have lost some strength from being behind a desk for 20 years. So now what can I do to lighten this baby up?

I was told that sometimes fluting a barrel can screw up the accuracy of a barrel. Whether this is true or not I don't know.

So what can I do, I have a 3 inch forarm that I was planning on shaving the sides to about 2 inches and then chop off about 3/8 inches off the bottom to ride a little bit lower in the front rest, which shouldn't loose much weight, so where can I loose some heft.
This is a cpa rifle.

thanks

I would shorten before I would flute.   Less chance of putting something into the barrel that would not help performance.  No telling how the gunsmith is going to flute some good some not.

Sometimes cutting shorter has a negative effect, Anything choke bored it's going to hurt. Friend of mine cut down a Anschutz position rifle barrel to make a silhouette gun out of it. Those have a muzzle swell and are well known good shooters due to the slight choke to the muzzle.  It went sour after the cut.

That # 5 is a Douglas I believe and should be the same size whole way so cutting down to 22 inches should not hurt at all. Short and heavy is a good thing for offhand rifles.  Plus the easiest thing to do is cut shorter. No re-bluing re-setting sights or scope blocks

Boats

I agree with 1/4 bore. #5 barrels are ridiculous. I once owned a Hi High Wall Schoyen with a #5 barrel. I happily traded it for a takedown Hi Wall schuetzen with a #3 30/40 barrel.

Joe, so you're saying that in ISSA matches I can't have a barrel less than 21 1/2 inches?
Didn't know that.

Van

ASSRA rules were changed at the Annual Meeting in 2010 to a barrel length of 16" . They are posted as a word document at (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)



Section 1.16   Barrels
Barrels may be of any length that conforms with federal law and any weight but for benchrest rifles the barrels shall be no more than 2 inches in diameter or  2 inches as measured across the flats of an octagon barrel. The barrel need not be rifled for the entire length but must fully encircle the bullet as it passes through the unrifled section. Sights may be mounted on an extended rib but the barrel must meet the above minimum length restriction. A bloop tube may be added to extend the length of sight radius, but adjustable barrel tuners are forbidden. 

Cheers,
Laurie

Joe,
The changes to the Match Equipment and Scoring Rules were adopted at the Meeting in May. They were published in the September/October Single Shot Journal. So all members have the corrections in hand. I am not sure why the original link to the rules was not changed and didn't notice it till I went looking for it this afternoon. I will be contacting Josh to get the link to the old rules removed.
Cheers,
Laurie

As a schuetzenmeister, I went to the Internet and ran off a set of the rules in their current configuration.  I even ran off a fancy Orange card stock cover for it.  Now nobody can argue about the rules at CSV!!

Froggie

PS  Shouldn't this part of the thread be moved to its own topic under "General?"

What? No lap tops at the range.........what is this world coming to?  

Old Harry would be rolling in his grave!!!